After Taking Advantage Of An Opening [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 9

After Lin Xu spoke, she felt the atmosphere around them become somewhat awkward…

She looked at Wen Ling, then at Liang Mei. The former was expressionless, while the latter glared at her.

“Sister Wen Ling, I…” Lin Xu wanted to apologize, but she felt that saying anything more might only make the situation even more awkward.

Liang Mei changed the subject. “Rongqing, why didn’t you answer when I called you?”

Gu Rongqing looked at her in confusion. “?”

Seeing Gu Rongqing’s expression—which plainly asked, When did you ever call me?—Liang Mei suddenly became furious.

What was wrong with all the people around Wen Ling?

Wen Ling abruptly grabbed Lin Xu and pulled her farther into the restaurant. She glanced back at Liang Mei. “Sister Liang, are you coming?”

Liang Mei nodded politely to Ji Chenxi, then sat at Wen Ling’s table without even looking at Gu Rongqing.

She genuinely didn’t want to deal with Gu Rongqing anymore.

If Gu Rongqing and Wen Ling hadn’t divorced, Liang Mei would never have realized that the beautiful and talented Best Actress Gu could possess such astonishingly low emotional intelligence!

When she first met Gu Rongqing, she thought the actress was simply aloof. Later, after observing her marriage to Wen Ling, she assumed Gu Rongqing didn’t love her.

Now, Liang Mei felt that Gu Rongqing was either a scumbag or completely devoid of emotion!

Wen Ling and Lin Xu ordered several of the restaurant’s specialties. When the dishes arrived, Liang Mei was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t eat spicy food. She simply hadn’t expected them to order so much of it.

Fish fillets poached in chili oil, sliced pork poached in chili oil, spicy blood-curd stew, sliced beef and offal in chili sauce, and mouthwatering chili chicken.

They had already ordered the fish, yet they still needed the sliced pork as well?

Were they turning grief and anger into an appetite?

In truth, Wen Ling loved spicy food. Most people from Dongcheng City were passionate about it, while people from Jingcheng City could generally tolerate only a little spice.

Gu Rongqing, however, could barely eat spicy food at all.

That was why Wen Ling had avoided it whenever she ate with Gu Rongqing over the years. She only indulged when eating alone or whenever she returned to Dongcheng City.

When Gu Rongqing walked over and saw Wen Ling eating with great enthusiasm, she couldn’t help wondering, Wen Ling can eat spicy food? And she seems to be enjoying it immensely.

“Rongqing and I will head back first. Enjoy your meal.”

Ji Chenxi was slightly taller than Gu Rongqing, and she currently had an arm draped around Gu Rongqing’s shoulders.

Liang Mei rolled her eyes inwardly.

She hadn’t known Ji Chenxi well before, so this was essentially their first direct interaction.

Why was that arrogant, possessive display so irritating?

“Take care, Teacher Ji. I still have something to discuss with Rongqing.”

Liang Mei felt that she had made herself perfectly clear this time. Surely Rongqing would understand what she was implying.

“Then you should go back first, Chenxi.”

Ji Chenxi was visibly reluctant. She looked at Liang Mei before turning to Gu Rongqing.

“Why don’t I wait for you outside?”

The moment Ji Chenxi said that, Liang Mei felt ready to explode.

She shot to her feet so abruptly that both Wen Ling and Lin Xu looked over.

Liang Mei ignored Lin Xu, but when she saw the calm expression on Wen Ling’s face, she couldn’t help wondering exactly how much torment Gu Rongqing had put her through to make her this composed.

Liang Mei took a deep breath and addressed Ji Chenxi in a somewhat impolite tone.

“Teacher Ji, Rongqing is my artist. I should be allowed to arrange her schedule, shouldn’t I?”

Ji Chenxi tried to respond, but Liang Mei interrupted her.

“Besides, can you take full responsibility for my artist’s safety?”

Privately, Liang Mei thought, Going anywhere with you is the least safe thing she could possibly do! Aren’t you interfering far too much?

Ji Chenxi clearly understood her implication. She smiled but directed her words toward Gu Rongqing.

“Your manager is certainly domineering with you.”

“I’ll leave first, then, Rongqing.”

Hearing the hidden meaning in Ji Chenxi’s words, Liang Mei thought, No wonder you never managed to win Gu Rongqing over after all these years. You have far too many schemes, and everything you say is so layered that Gu Rongqing probably doesn’t understand any of it.

Now Liang Mei was rather curious about how Wen Ling had successfully pursued her.

After Ji Chenxi left, Liang Mei pulled Gu Rongqing over and sat down with her.

The moment she took her seat, she sensed someone staring at her. She looked over and unexpectedly found Lin Xu gazing at her with admiration.

“Sister, you were so cool just now~”

“That was Ji Chenxi! Best Actress Ji!”

After hearing Liang Mei confront Ji Chenxi, Lin Xu sincerely thought this beautiful older woman was incredibly cool.

Although Lin Xu was a fan of Ji Chenxi, once she calmed down and carefully observed Ji Chenxi’s behavior toward Gu Rongqing, she found that domineering attitude rather unpleasant.

Liang Mei felt somewhat smug after receiving Lin Xu’s praise. She swept back her hair, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “What’s wrong? Has Sister captivated you?”

Liang Mei already possessed the allure of a mature older woman. Once she deliberately began flirting, Lin Xu couldn’t withstand it at all.

Her face instantly turned red.

“Why are you flirting again? Didn’t you say you had something to discuss with me?”

Wonderful.

Gu Rongqing had ruined the atmosphere again.

Liang Mei turned toward her, already regretting making her stay.

“Pfft… Hahaha.”

Wen Ling couldn’t hold back her laughter.

She had never seen Gu Rongqing looking this adorable before.

“Hahahaha!”

Liang Mei hadn’t initially found it funny. In fact, she had been rather angry. But when Wen Ling laughed and Gu Rongqing remained utterly bewildered, Liang Mei also began to find Gu Rongqing adorable.

Gu Rongqing stared at them. “?”

She couldn’t understand what the two of them were laughing about.

Lin Xu didn’t understand either. She was still immersed in the fact that Liang Mei had flirted with her…

“Liang Mei, what exactly did you want to discuss?”

“Well… Why don’t we have lunch together?”

Since Liang Mei hadn’t actually had anything to say, she didn’t know what else to suggest.

“I already… ate my fill.”

“You can’t eat spicy food.”

“You barely ate anything earlier. Let’s order a few dishes that aren’t spicy.”

Gu Rongqing truly hadn’t eaten enough earlier. But after hearing Wen Ling’s words, she voiced the question that had been troubling her.

“Don’t you avoid spicy food too?”

Lin Xu looked surprised.

“Sister Wen Ling can’t eat spicy food? Are there people from Dongcheng City who don’t eat spicy food?”

Gu Rongqing froze.

She looked at the table full of spicy dishes and remembered how happily Wen Ling had been eating moments ago…

So Wen Ling actually liked spicy food?

Seeing Gu Rongqing’s confusion, Liang Mei felt helpless and couldn’t stop herself from saying, “She avoided it because you can’t eat spicy food.”

Wen Ling became somewhat uncomfortable.

It was true that she had rarely eaten spicy food because of Gu Rongqing. Gu Rongqing couldn’t tolerate even the slightest hint of spice, and Wen Nuan had inherited the same inability from her.

Whenever Wen Ling craved it, she could only secretly eat a little by herself.

Gu Rongqing looked as though she could hardly believe it.

Liang Mei suddenly began to understand why Wen Ling had divorced her.

Being with someone so romantically oblivious—someone who possessed nothing but beauty—truly couldn’t have been easy.

None of them continued discussing the subject.

Liang Mei ordered two mild dishes for Gu Rongqing. After everyone quietly finished eating, they returned to the hotel.

Wen Ling’s shared room was on the third floor, while Gu Rongqing was staying in a suite on the fifth floor.

The four of them took the elevator together. Wen Ling and Lin Xu got off first, while Gu Rongqing and Liang Mei continued upstairs.

After leaving the elevator, Lin Xu moved closer to Wen Ling.

“Sister Wen Ling, has Best Actress Gu always been like that?”

“Like what?”

“Has she always been that clueless about romance?”

Wen Ling didn’t answer.

Sensing that she shouldn’t continue asking, Lin Xu wisely fell silent.

After Liang Mei and Gu Rongqing entered the suite, Liang Mei sat on the sofa and stared darkly at Gu Rongqing.

“What’s wrong with you?” Gu Rongqing asked.

“What’s wrong with me?”

In the past, whenever Liang Mei saw Gu Rongqing’s calm expression, she assumed it was because Gu Rongqing was rational.

Now?

She didn’t know whether Gu Rongqing was so excessively rational that it had destroyed her emotional intelligence or whether something else was wrong with her.

“Rongqing, didn’t you think today was rather awkward?”

“Awkward? Who felt awkward?”

Liang Mei took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was her own artist and that she needed to endure it.

But she was truly finding it difficult!

“I don’t know whether Ji Chenxi felt awkward, but the three of us certainly did.”

“Rongqing, what exactly are you thinking?”

“I’m not thinking about anything.”

Gu Rongqing looked somewhat aggrieved…

“Do you like Ji Chenxi?”

Gu Rongqing frowned at Liang Mei’s question, confusion filling her eyes.

“Chenxi and I are friends. Why would I like her that way?”

She then added, “Wen Ling also asked me before whether Chenxi and I were together.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I asked her why I would ever be with Chenxi.”

Gu Rongqing wore an expression that plainly asked what on earth Liang Mei and Wen Ling were both thinking.

Liang Mei felt defeated.

How was she supposed to communicate with Gu Rongqing?

“So you don’t like Ji Chenxi?”

Gu Rongqing thought briefly before answering, “No, I don’t.”

“Then what about Wen Ling? Do you like her?”

Gu Rongqing didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she sank into deep thought.

After considering it for a while, she said, “I don’t know…”

Liang Mei felt that Gu Rongqing most likely did like Wen Ling. This woman was simply far too slow to recognize it—and terribly stubborn as well.

She changed the way she phrased the question.

“Then do you dislike Wen Ling?”

“I don’t dislike her.”

This time, Gu Rongqing answered almost immediately, without needing to think.

“Then that means you like Wen Ling, doesn’t it?”

After questioning her for so long, Liang Mei felt that she had finally reached some kind of conclusion.

“…”

Gu Rongqing stopped answering.

After everything she had asked, Liang Mei suspected that Gu Rongqing genuinely didn’t know whether she liked Wen Ling.

At the very least, however, she knew that she didn’t like Ji Chenxi.

“Do you know how much Wen Ling likes you?”

Gu Rongqing didn’t answer.

Liang Mei felt her temper rising again and continued questioning her.

“How did Wen Ling win you over in the first place? Why did you agree to marry her?”

Did Wen Ling like her?

Gu Rongqing believed that Wen Ling had liked her before the divorce. The Wen Ling who pursued her back then had liked her too.

Wen Ling had made Gu Rongqing understand what it felt like to have someone care about her.

So when Wen Ling pursued her, Gu Rongqing didn’t reject her.

When Wen Ling proposed, Gu Rongqing didn’t reject her either.

Gu Rongqing had thought the two of them lived quite well together.

“But she doesn’t like me anymore.”

Liang Mei was so exasperated by those words that she almost laughed.

She snapped irritably, “Considering everything you’ve done, if I were Wen Ling, I would’ve divorced you ages ago.”